"To increase the potential of the Dutch historical (heritage), we need support from all parties to ensure (the heritage) will be more well-known and preserved," Hartono said in a statement that ANTARA quoted here Sunday.
The deputy mayor earlier accompanied Ambassador of the Netherlands to Indonesia Lambert Grijns to visit Cimanggis House, a colonial heritage in the city.
Hartono said that collaboration, sister city program between Depok and cities in the Netherlands, and organisation of a Dutch cultural festival in Depok help promote and develop the Depok Lama area.
He pointed out that some heritage sites in Depok are the active Depok Lama station, historical buildings along Pemuda Street near Depok Municipal Building, the city forest, and the Cimanggis House.
In response to the deputy mayor's keenness to develop cultural heritage in Depok, Ambassador Grijns expressed his side's willingness to collaborate with the municipal authority.
He said he had visited Depok two times, and it was an honour for him to know the Netherlands and Depok have a strong connection for its historical heritage.
While seeking to bolster the relations with the municipal authority to probe tourism potentials, he encouraged more parties to join the effort.
Ambassador Grijns said he wants everyone to contribute to making the historical heritages be more attractive.
Grijns, who was born in Bogor and proficient in Indonesian, expressed hope that Depok residents would be proud of having a piece of Dutch historical heritage in their city.
Moreover, historian of the Cornelis Chastelein Institute (YLCC) Boy Loen expressed his optimism about the government's initiative to collaborate with national universities and Dutch-educated alumni to research cultural heritage in Depok Lama.
Loen, who is among the descendants of the "Depok Dutch" people -- the original settlers of Depok -- explained that his ancestors inherited the land that would become the original portion of Depok from Dutch merchant Cornelis Chastelein who manumitted them in the 18th century.
As the original settler families had lost control of their area, efforts must be made to protect the historical assets still existing in the region.
The initiative from the municipal authority and the University of Indonesia's researchers could hopefully be realised gradually with constructive support from all stakeholders, Loen remarked.
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Translator: Feru Lantara, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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